PHOTOS: More than half a dozen orcas off West Seattle (update: J-Pod again)

9 AM: A group of orcas that had been heading southbound off Brace Point has just turned around and is now northbound in the Fauntleroy ferry lanes, reports Kersti Muul. She says there are at least eight at last count. Let us know if you see them!

9:04 AM: Kersti says a second group is northbound off Lowman Beach.

3:33 PM: That’s one of half a dozen photos commenter Svenry has posted below – this was J-Pod again. … We also just received these photos from Robin Sinner, shooting from the Alki Point vicinity:

Kersti Muul October 30, 2024 (9:26 am)

Approaching Alki Point. Very very spread out

Kersti Muul October 30, 2024 (10:00 am)

Confirming jpod as some are east In channel, still approaching Alki point – saddles clearly visible 10:00

Rachel V. Smith October 30, 2024 (10:50 am)

Saw them from the ferry while passing west Seattle. 1st time seeing them!

LISA October 30, 2024 (12:43 pm)

Good looking out. Sighting of a lifetime.
Kersti Muul October 30, 2024 (12:48 pm)

🤐💪🥳

anonyme October 30, 2024 (1:11 pm)

Does anyone know of a viewing point in Arbor Heights? I don’t drive, so can’t get to other areas quick enough…

Kersti Muul October 30, 2024 (7:08 pm)

There’s a high spot along Marine view drive, with a little grassy strip with good views looking down
- anonyme November 2, 2024 (6:11 am)
  
  Great, thanks! I’ll walk down and look for it. Any idea of the cross street? Maybe it’s the same viewpoint as for the comet…

Svenry October 30, 2024 (2:56 pm)

A few shots from 64th & Alki. It was certainly worth waiting in the cold wind and rain to see another beautiful pass of J-Pod.

Bbron October 30, 2024 (6:02 pm)

Do these orcas have a regular schedule they stick to? Would like to know if there’s a time I can shoot for being at Alki that’d give me the best chance to sight these majestic creatures.

Kersti Muul October 30, 2024 (7:06 pm)

No schedule. But the southern residents are here off and on between mid-september and January.Transients can pop up at any time.Jpod is overdue for a trip to Vashon so your chances are good this week – I’d check between 0730 and 0900 at Alki. You can also join Salish Wildlife Watch app. Free texts in real time for shore based sightings. Or you can just try your luck, which is also a lot of fun!

https://chat.whatsapp.com/E303XKYgS5kH963fV2Ftyv

Donna, The Whale Trail October 30, 2024 (9:33 pm)

Born, you can also download the free app Whale Alert (https://www.whalealert.org/) to see where orcas and other whales have been spotted.

Unlike private sighting networks, the app is available to everyone. Orca Network and other trusted observers enter their sightings into the app, so the sightings are reliable and timely.

Check the app to see if the whales have been seen, and which direction they are heading. We usually check it in the morning and follow the whales’ progress throughout the day. You can contribute sightings too!

Check out The Whale Trail map (whaletrail.org) for the best places to watch from shore. Beyond West Seattle, Point No Point and Edmonds are great places to see them to the north, and Point Robinson or Point Defiance to the south. They have been spending a lot of time up north, foraging on chum salmon.

Kersti Muul October 31, 2024 (10:55 am)

Bbron – also, Salish Wildlife Watch is not private. It’s free, zero gatekeeping or drama, and in real time – you don’t have to go looking for sightings and it is the fastest sightings information. Thousands of local users contribute to, and share sightings. We also provide maps with highlighted names to confusing and oft referenced data points (like tango buoy!😆) and respond to dozens of questions daily. We share our data directly and immediately with researchers, enforcement and boater education, large vessels, the stranding network the WSB, and many other groups – just to name a few. It’s much, much more than just vetted, and trusted whale sightings information. There are many things going on behind the scenes as well, and many other species of animals benefit from it. There are a myriad of ways to get sightings, so I’d say join as many as you can, and you’ll be certain to catch the whales soon!Good luck! Hope to see you on the beach soon.

Sillygoose October 30, 2024 (10:58 pm)

Any sign of the baby?

Kersti Muul October 31, 2024 (10:56 am)

L128 has passed.
- Ilovealki October 31, 2024 (10:25 pm)
  
  Oh this is so sad to learn. Do we know what happened to cause the baby to pass?
  - Kersti Muul November 1, 2024 (8:27 am)
    
    As often happens, the body is not recovered for necropsy, so no way to know for sure, and even if we had the precise COD it wouldn’t explain the cultural choices and behaviors that may have had just as big of a role here. L90 strayed from the pod with her new calf, and hence didn’t benefit from the wisdom or help from the other females. She was a first time mom, who also seems to perhaps have congenital issues herself (odd body size and shape).After birth, mom was normal size and was nursing L128.The next time they were seen (CWR encounter) L90 was back with Lpod and foraging off by herself, while another unrelated female was pushing L128’s emaciated body around, and holding it on her rostrum – seemingly trying to revive it. For whatever reason, I would guess maybe L90 wasn’t nursing her calf, based on the calf’s poor body condition, and the calf probably starved – which is devastating. The next encounter, L90, L83 and L128 were not with Lpod. Subsequent encounter L83 was back with the pod but L90 was not. And the very last (CWR) encounter L90 was finally back with Lpod.First time mothers often lose their calves and overall there is a very low survival rate for SRKW calves, and high rates of miscarriage.While it’s not the first time by any means that a SRKW has taken her calf away from the pod, in this case it was probably not a good choice. I’m not a killer whale so I can’t even begin to know what things were at play here, or the decision making processes they go through. For all we know about killer whales, there is so much more we don’t know.